Asphalt Calculator
Tons of hot mix and installed cost for a driveway or parking area. Built for paving contractors and homeowners getting quotes.
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Residential driveway is 2 to 3 inches of surface course over a compacted base. Commercial parking is 4 inches or more.
Hot mix asphalt installed typically costs $100 to $200 per ton. Materials alone are $60 to $90 per ton.
Your result
At $130.00 per ton installed
- Area66.7 square yards
- 600sq ft
- Asphalt needed21,750 lbs of compacted hot mix
- 10.88tons
- Cost per square footCompare to local paving quotes.
- $2.36
Example. A 50 ft by 12 ft driveway at 3 inches is 13.05 tons of compacted asphalt. At $130 per ton installed, that is around $1,697.
Save this as a free estimateHow thick should asphalt be?
The number to know is the compacted thickness, not what gets dropped from the truck. Hot mix compacts down to about 80 percent of its loose volume.
- Residential driveway (cars)Over 4-6 in of compacted aggregate base.2 in
- Residential driveway (heavy)For trucks, boats, or RVs.3 in
- Parking lot (light vehicles)Over 6-8 in of base.3 in
- Parking lot (truck traffic)Over 8-12 in of base.4+ in
- Patch repairsNever thinner than the surrounding asphalt.Match existing
Skip the base layer at your own risk. Asphalt cracks and sinks where the base fails, no matter how thick the surface is.
Asphalt pricing in 2026
Smaller jobs get penalized. A 600 sq ft driveway costs more per square foot than 6,000 sq ft because of the mobilization charges for the paving crew and roller. Expect a minimum job charge of $1,500 to $3,000 from most paving contractors regardless of size.
When asphalt makes sense vs concrete
Asphalt is cheaper up front and faster to install. Concrete lasts longer and tolerates heat better. The cost comparison in 2026:
- Asphalt: $5 to $13 per sq ft installed (national avg around $5 to $7), lasts 15 to 25 years with sealcoating
- Plain concrete: $6 to $12 per sq ft installed, lasts 30 to 50 years
- Stamped or colored concrete: $10 to $25 per sq ft installed
Asphalt is forgiving on heaving ground (cold climates with freeze-thaw cycles). Concrete cracks where asphalt flexes. For a hot southern climate with no freezing, concrete usually wins.
Pricing the job for a client
Material is one line. To bill the client, add your labor, crew mobilization, equipment (paver, roller, transport), and your contractor markup. The markup calculator handles the cost-to-price math, and the labor cost calculator gives you a defensible billable rate. The construction estimate template is the format most paving contractors use to hand the job to the client.
For the gravel base under your asphalt, run the gravel calculator. Comparing to concrete? See the concrete calculator and read estimating construction costs.
How many tons of asphalt do I need per square foot?
About 0.024 tons per square foot for a 2-inch driveway, or 0.036 tons per square foot for a 3-inch driveway. The math: compacted hot mix asphalt weighs 145 lbs per cubic foot. A 2-inch layer over 1 sq ft is 0.167 cubic feet, which is 24.2 lbs, or 0.012 tons per inch of thickness per sq ft. So a 2,000 sq ft driveway at 2 inches needs about 48 tons.
How much does a 1,000 sq ft asphalt driveway cost?
A 1,000 sq ft residential asphalt driveway runs $5,000 to $13,000 installed in 2026, with the national average closer to $5,000 to $7,000. That includes the compacted aggregate base, 2 to 3 inches of hot mix surface, edge work, and basic grading. Add $500 to $1,500 if the contractor has to remove the existing driveway first.
When should I sealcoat my new asphalt driveway?
Wait 6 to 12 months after new asphalt is installed before the first sealcoat. New asphalt needs time to off-gas the volatile oils. After that, sealcoat every 2 to 3 years to extend the driveway's life. A sealcoat costs $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot, so a 600 sq ft driveway is $90 to $180.
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